Dreams are a form of communication that God uses today. God uses dreams as a method to entice us to draw closer to Him. As we spend time considering thier meanings and spending time talking to God in order interpret them, the dreams can serve as a catapult into deeper understanding of our relationship with Him.

Visions are much more literal. In the event that a vision requires interpretation the methods used are the same as dream interpretation therefore they will be dealt with as one in this section.

There is much proof of the importance of dreams in Gods leading and guiding of His people. Take the time to study the scriptural references below:

1. Genesis 20:3 Abimelech was warned not to take Sarah as his wife.
2. Genesis 28:12 Jacob dreamed of the ladder to heaven and God spoke in the dream about blessing him and one day returning him to the land.
3. Genesis 31:10 The angel of God spoke to Jacob in a dream about streaked spotted and speckled flocks and returning now to his family.
4. Genesis 31:24 God warned Laban in a dream about his treatment of Jacob.
   Genesis 37:5 Josephs' dream.
5. Genesis 37:9 Josephs' second dream.
   Genesis 40:5 The butlers' and the bakers' dream.
6. Genesis 41:1 Pharaoh's dream.
   Genesis 41:5 Pharaoh's second dream.
7. Judges 7:13 Gideon overhears the dream given to the Midianite and afterwards his hand was strengthened.
8. I Kings 3:5-14 God imparts wisdom and understanding as well as riches and honor to Solomon in a dream.
9. Daniel 2:3-45 Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezars' dream.
   Daniel 4:4-28 Nebuchadnezars' second dream.
10. Daniel 7:1-28 Daniels' dream.

An amazing creativity can be unleashed during your dreams. I am certain that if you were to research history you would find many more events that came into being as a result of dreams. These are a few that have been published.

• George Frederick Handel wrote The Messiah because he first heard it in a dream.
• Rembrandt painted many of his paintings from elements he saw in his dreams.
• Abraham Lincoln dreamed he would be assassinated a few days before it happened.
• The Combine
• Polio Vaccine
• Pilgrims Progress
• Elias Howe had a nightmare that gave him an idea by which he invented the sewing machine
• Alber Einstein attributed the theory of relativity having originated in a dream which led him to meditate on the concept

Not all dreams tell of future events or give way to amazing discovery. There are many other reasons that dreams are given.

• To bring to our attention a matter needing prayer.
• To warn when we are doing things that may prove to be self destructive.
• To confirm the place you are in in your life.
• To reveal Gods love to us.
• To verify that He is communicating with us.
• To bring us emotional healing in areas regardless of whether or not we are aware of the need.
• To warn us of things to watch out for.
• To speak to the destiny God has called us to.
• To impart gifts to us.
• To correct our thinking in needed areas.

This is not an exhaustive list. It is only to serve to provoke your thinking in the area of dreams.

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Although many of the dreams we ignore are Gods attempt to communicate with us not all dreams are from God. There are various reasons why someone would dream and it not be from God. I often find that during an illness my dreams can be bizarre and hallucinatory. Taking medication can also have an affect on your dreams even if the medication is prescribed and not a hallucinagenic. Physical changes in your body can affect your dreaming. Changes such as menopause or pregnacy can cause noticeable sleep disturbances and affect the quality of sleep and clarity of dreams.

As you spend time learning to understand dreams you will begin to notice the things that affect them. Be aware however that not every dream is a pizza dream. Some of the most bizarre dreams that I have had were actually dreams that provided me direction and understanding in that season of my life. It is only through our efforts to learn that God can deepen our understanding of dreams.

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One of the main reasons that people do not remember thier dreams is that they do not give importance to them. Matters ignored often can become almost invisable. Science has proven that everyone dreams but not everyone remembers dreaming. Others may have been frightened as children and have subconsciously shut down thier memory pertaining to dreaming.

Bitterness and unforgiveness can also affect your ability to remember dreams. Alcohol and medication can affect your memory.

Missuse of the information given in a dream can also cause you to be in a place where God will not speak to you in this method.

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The first step to developing in the area of your dream life is to acknowledge the relevance that it has today. Eastern cultures have no problems in accepting this fact and as a result many amazing experiences have be told of. Western culture however has minimized it as being occultish. I am glad that Joseph did not think this when in a dream he was warned to take the baby Jesus to a safer place.

Some areas that will help you develop are relatively simple.

• Read up on dreams in the bible and in other material. I will provide a list of suggested reading at the end of this webpage.
• Consciously tell yourself you will remember your dreams when you awake in the morning. Even before I knew God a psychology book recommended positive confessions before bed would have an affect on your mental state in the morning. I found this to work. With God on board it is even more true.
• Immediately upon waking write down your dreams. Many feel that if the dream is from God they usually remember. The truth is they have just forgotten the dreams they have forgotten. When an effort is made to journal thier dreams it is found that not only are they remembering better, they are also dreaming more often.

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One of the main reasons that people do not remember thier dreams is that they do not give importance to them. Matters ignored often can become almost invisable. Science has proven that everyone dreams but not everyone remembers dreaming. Others may have been frightened as children and have subconsciously shut down thier memory pertaining to dreaming.

Bitterness and unforgiveness can also affect your ability to remember dreams. Alcohol and medication can affect your memory.

Missuse of the information given in a dream can also cause you to be in a place where God will not speak to you in this method.

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